Over the past ten years, collectibles such as baseball cards, figurines, photographic and artistic likeness', models, plates, stamps and the like have increased in popularity and in value. People commonly display their collectibles in the home using display devices, such as cases, shelf-units, wall mounting brackets, and frames. However, to people who are not collectors, or are unaware of the significance of a particular person or thing that the collectible represents, these objects have little meaning. This problem can be solved by the owner explaining the significance, or through the use of written literature, such as would be found in an art gallery. However, these solutions are unsatisfactory as the owner may not always be present and, in many cases, there is insufficient space to provide written literature. Thus, there is a need for a way to provide information about displayed collectibles to inform both non-collectors and collectors of the significance of a given collectible, when an owner is not present, that does not involve the provision of written information.
Presently, there are a number of different display methods and a number of methods for relaying information about an image or likeness. Many of these methods feature lights and sound associated with video images, or feature one-piece audio-visual display units. However, none of the present methods are readily adapted for providing information about displayed collectibles.
One group of issued patents relating to display apparatus features sounds that correspond to video images or pictures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,918, issued to Berman, on Feb. 15, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,694, issued to Brumley, on Mar. 18, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,555, issued to Fernandes, on Sep. 30, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,665, issued to Billings, on May 11, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,374, issued to Schwartz, on Oct. 25, 1994. In each of these patents, the sound generating device is not separated from the likeness. Therefore, a particular likeness cannot intrinsically be displayed as a decoration. Also, none of these displays allow users to display likenesses in embodiments other than video images or pictures, preventing the use of these apparatus for display of collectibles such as figurines or other three dimensional objects.
Another group of issued patents disclose displays directed to a particular likeness, figurine, or other object. However, none of these patents describes an apparatus that is interactive. One example of these displays is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,777, issued to Dods, on Jun. 2, 1998. Dods discloses a package comprising a figurine and a model book or a model magazine bearing information relating to the figurine. The model book or the model magazine preferably comprises a small replica comic book featuring a character represented by the figurine, with the preferred embodiment including a display stand for the figurine. This type of arrangement succeeds in providing information about the figurine, but requires the inclusion of written materials. Thus, this system fails to solve the problem described above.
Finally, there is a group of prior display patents that feature sound generation and the option of interchanging likenesses. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,588, issued to Lin, on Jan. 11, 1994 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,980, issued to Wood, on Apr. 30, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,588, issued to Lin, on Jan. 11, 1994 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,980, issued to Wood, on Apr. 30, 1996. 1however, each of these requires that the sound generator be directly attached to the figurine and, accordingly do not provide any means for identifying a figurine that is remotely displayed. Another drawback of these devices is that the direct attachment of the sound generator to the figurine eliminates the ability to easily provide updated information about a figurine as time goes by.
An apparatus for providing information about displayed collectibles, to inform both non-collectors and collectors of the significance of the collectible, that does not require the provision of written information, that allows the collectibles to be remotely displayed, that may be utilized with both three dimensional and two dimensional collectibles, and that allows information about a collectible to be easily updated, is not known in the art.